The tragic death of Diana

1961 - 1997

"Your candle's burned out long before your legend ever will"

Candle in the Wind" (Revised) by Bernie Taupin & Elton John

Goodbye England's Rose May you ever grow in our hearts. You were the grace that placed itself where lives were torn apart. You called out to our country, and you whispered to those in pain. Now you belong to heaven, and the stars spell out your name. And it seems to me you lived your life like a candle in the wind: never fading with the sunset when the rain set in. And your footsteps will always fall here, along England's greenest hills; your candle's burned out long before your legend ever will. Loveliness we've lost; these empty days without your smile. This torch we'll always carry for our nation's golden child. And even though we try, the truth brings us to tears; all our words cannot express the joy you brought us through the years. And it seems to me you lived your life like a candle in the wind: never fading with the sunset when the rain set in. And your footsteps will always fall here, along England's greenest hills; your candle's burned out long before your legend ever will. Goodbye England's rose, from a country lost without your soul, who'll miss the wings of your compassion more than you'll ever know." You called out to our country, and you whispered to those in pain. Now you belong to heaven, and the stars spell out your name. And it seems to me you lived your life like a candle in the wind: never fading with the sunset when the rain set in. And your footsteps will always fall here, along England's greenest hills; your candle's burned out long before your legend ever will. Loveliness we've lost; these empty days without your smile. This torch we'll always carry for our nation's golden child. And even though we try, the truth brings us to tears; all our words cannot express the joy you brought us through the years. And it seems to me you lived your life like a candle in the wind: never fading with the sunset when the rain set in. And your footsteps will always fall here, along England's greenest hills; your candle's burned out long before your legend ever will. Goodbye England's rose, from a country lost without your soul, who'll miss the wings of your compassion more than you'll ever know." You called out to our country, and you whispered to those in pain. Now you belong to heaven, and the stars spell out your name. And it seems to me you lived your life like a candle in the wind: never fading with the sunset when the rain set in. And your footsteps will always fall here, along England's greenest hills; your candle's burned out long before your legend ever will.

Diana, Princess of Wales viewing the annual RAF fly-past from the balcony of Buckingham Palace © Photographers International

DEATH The tragic death of Diana, Princess of Wales occurred on Sunday, 31 August 1997 following a car accident in Paris, France. The vehicle in which the Princess was travelling was involved in a high-speed accident in the Place de l'Alma underpass in central Paris shortly before midnight on Saturday, 30 August. The Princess was taken to the La Pitie Salpetriere Hospital, where she underwent two hours of emergency surgery before being declared dead at 0300 BST. The Princess's companion, Mr Dodi Fayed, and the driver of the vehicle died in the accident, whilst a bodyguard was seriously injured. The Princess's body was subsequently repatriated to the United Kingdom in the evening of Sunday, 31 August by a BAe 146 aircraft of the Royal Squadron. The Prince of Wales and the Princess's elder sisters, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane Fellowes, accompanied the Princess's coffin on its return journey. Upon arrival at RAF Northolt, the coffin, draped with a Royal Standard, was removed from the aircraft and transferred to a waiting hearse by a bearer party from The Queen's Colour Squadron of the RAF. The Prime Minister was among those in the reception party. From RAF Northolt the coffin was taken to a private mortuary in London, so that the necessary legal formalities could be completed. Shortly after midnight, it was moved to the Chapel Royal in St James's Palace, where it lay privately until the funeral on Saturday, 6 September, in Westminster Abbey. The Princess's family and friends visited the Chapel to pay their respects. Following the funeral service, the coffin then was taken by road to the family estate at Althorp for a private interment. The Princess was buried in sanctified ground on an island in the centre of an ornamental lake.